Archive | 2011

Guest editorial: Who broke this? The fine art of finger-pointing when a rig fails

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, IADC: Global Leadership, Global Challenges, July/August, Videos

Driven by the natural desire to identify what went wrong, blame is the predisposition of our dysfunctional industry. Instead of being grounded in a model of continuous improvement, we structure our organizations around the protection of proven business models and motivate ourselves by successfully adjudicating blame…

Share This

JIP rethinks BOP leak detection for deepwater

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, Drilling It Safely, July/August

To advance the technology of BOP leak detection through a software development initiative, operators, service providers and drilling contractors established…

Share This

Steel-body PDC bit targets shale drilling

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, Features, Innovating While Drilling, July/August

Many Marcellus operators drill the vertical sections of their horizontal wells using an air rig. Contractors are experienced in this technique, which has proven cost-effective in the northeastern US. When the kickoff point is reached…

Share This

Drilling mud solutions: Cracking the shale code

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, Features, Innovating While Drilling, July/August

A trend afoot in the world of drilling fluids is further evidence of the importance of shale plays in North America today. Every shale play is not created equal; so it stands to reason that the ideal drilling mud solution needs to match the unique requirements of each play…

Share This

Multilateral completions on rise but still a niche

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, Completing the Well, Features, July/August

Have multilateral completions finally come of age? Proven to maximize reservoir production, horizontal multilateral completions have witnessed growth in numbers and in complexity. However, while these completions have become more prevalent over the past decade, hurdles remain to widespread…

Share This

No longer niche: Expandables finally going mainstream

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, Features, Innovating While Drilling, July/August

Since they came onto the scene nearly 15 years ago as the game changers that were going to revolutionize drilling and completions, expandables are finally coming of age…

Share This

Drilling automation: Is resistance futile?

Posted on 06 July 2011 in 2011, Features, Innovating While Drilling, July/August, The Efficient Rig, Videos

“Automation”: Say the word the right way with the right group of people in drilling circles, and it can almost come off as an obscenity. Drilling is an art, they say, with too many unpredictabilities. How can it be entrusted in the hands of a bunch of machines, computers and algorithms?

Share This

Offshore, optimism for an uncertain future

Posted on 04 May 2011 in 2011, May/June, The Offshore Frontier

The last time I had the privilege of writing an article for Drilling Contractor was in March 2009, when the offshore drilling industry was reeling from the effects of the more than 70% drop…

Share This